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Top Ten Greatest USC Trojans

10. Ricky Bell, RB, 1973-76

Bell was the first Trojan Pacific Conference Player of the Year in 1976. He helped USC to the 1974 UPI National Championship. Bell finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1975 after leading the nation in rushing with 1,875 yards — good for third-best all-time in USC history and still the conference's top single-season rushing mark. He followed that up with a 1,433-yard season in 1976 and finished second in the Heisman balloting behing Pitt's Tony Dorsett. He is fourth all-time in school history with 3,689 yards and was elected to the NCAA Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

9. Anthony Munoz, OL, 1976-79

Anthony Munoz was the prototypical offensive lineman who showed that big men could be agile as well as dominating. A two-time All-American while at USC, Munoz was also talented enough to have pitched for the Trojan’s national championship baseball team in 1978. Knee injuries proved to be a problem for Munoz while at USC, but they did not keep him from having a stellar NFL career, starting 164 of 168 games at the next level.

8. Ronnie Lott, DB, 1977-80

Lott, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002, is arguably the greatest safety to ever play the game. And he is certainly one of the toughest — considering the "cut it off" story. At USC, the three-year starter led the Trojans to a share of the 1978 National Championship. Lott played in two Rose Bowls and was a consensus All-American in 1980.

7. Anthony Davis, RB, 1972-74

Davis' legend was no more apparent than against Notre Dame in 1974. After the Trojans had trailed 24-0 at one point, Davis returned the second half kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown. Three more Davis TDs later and the 55-24 comeback had been realized — and his legacy cemented. Davis finished second behind Archie Griffin in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. He is third all-time in school history in rushing with 3,724 yards.

6. Reggie Bush, RB, 2003-05

Bush was one of the most electrifying players to ever step on a college football field. He earned the 2005 Heisman Trophy with 1,740 yards rushing and a Pac-10 record 2,890 all-purpose yards — including a conference-record 513 yards in a memorable performance against Fresno State. He finsihed his career with 3,169 yards rushing, good for seventh-best in school history. He won two Pac-10 Player of the Year awards and the 2005 Doak Walker as well. He finished with 6,617 career all-purpose yards. He was a key member of back-to-back National Championship teams in 2003 and 2004 before falling just short of a three-peat against Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

5. Ron Yary, OL, 1965-67

Yary actually started out and excelled as a defensive tackle, earning Pac-8 Defensive Lineman of the Year as a sophomore. Despite his stellar play on defense, coach John McKay asked Yary to switch to the offensive line as a junior. In 1966, Yary’s first year on the offensive line, he was voted a consensus All-American. In his second season along the O-line, Yary topped himself, becoming the first Trojan to win to Outland Trophy. He was also a unanimous All-America selection again while leading the Trojans to the 1967 National Championship.

4. Matt Leinart, QB, 2002-05

Leinart became USC's first junior to the win the Heisman Trophy when he did so in 2004 while leading the Trojans to their — and his — second National Championship in a row. He completed 65.3% of his passes for 3,322 yards and 33 touchdowns with only six INTs that season. The three-time All-American was 37-2 as the starter and ranks second all-time on USC's career completions, passing yards and total offense charts. His 99 passing touchdowns are not only a school record but also a Pac-12 record. He owns 16 school records and led his team to three straight national title games.

3. O.J. Simpson, RB, 1967-68

Simpson became the school's second-ever winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1968 when he captured the coveted award by the most one-sided margin in history. During the regular season in '68, Simpson set an NCAA single-season rushing record with 1,709 (since broken). A two-time All-American, Simpson equaled or broke 19 NCAA, conference and school records. Simpson also topped the 2,000-yard mark in the NFL and at one point held the single-season rushing record in both the NCAA and NFL. His 3,423 yards (in only two seasons) rank him fifth all-time in USC history.

2. Charles White, RB, 1976-79

White, a four-year letterman at USC, finished his career as the NCAA's second-leading rusher of all-time with 5,598 regular-season yards. Including bowl games, White finished with a conference-record 6,245 yards rushing. A two-year consensus All-American, White set or equaled 22 NCAA, conference, USC and Rose Bowl records. He topped the 100-yard mark 31 times in his career. He is the Trojans' all-time leading rusher and carried the ball (1,147) more times than any USC player in history. That number is also a conference record. He became the third USC Heisman Trophy winner in 1979 when he rushed for 2,050 yards on 332 carries, scoring 19 times. White finished his career as the Trojans' all-time leading touchdown scorer with 53 and is currently No. 2 in rushing TDs (49, LenDale White, 52).

1. Marcus Allen, RB, 1978-81

Allen was college football's first 2,000-yard rusher when he posted an absurd 2,427 yards in 1981. He became USC's fourth Heisman Trophy winner that year, setting 14 new NCAA records and tying two others, including most rushing yards in a season and the highest per-game average (212.9 ypg), most 200-yard games in a career (11), most 200-yard games in a season (8) and most 200-yard game in a row (5). He scored 23 total TDs that season. Allen, USC's No. 2 rusher of all time with 4,810 yards, also led the team in receptions in 1980 (30) and 1981 (31). He finished his career with 46 total TDs scored.

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